Posts Tagged ‘china missions’

“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’…(Matthew 25:35)

When the Nepal earthquake hit in April of 2015, it left over 9,000 dead, over 20,000 people injured and hundreds of thousands homeless, as well as displaced in this small area that sits next to China. If our gospel is not Christ centered or shown in such a way that benefits the people equally in such a way that denotes a true and genuine expression of love toward those who are hurting, then we are merely paying lip service about a God that we do not know ourselves, and we become more of a hindrance than a help. Yet that is exactly what has happened in this area not long ago when a disaster took place, which left thousands dead, and even many more with no home. When American missionaries came into Nepal as well as western China to preach Christ, but in the end left little in regards to solving the more serious issues that those who were stricken by the earthquake were experiencing. Yet worse, never actually meeting the desired need of the people, instead, only giving out bibles (no food, no warm blankets, no water – nothing but bibles).

Recently I was sitting with an individual who had been part of a humanitarian relief group for Nepal, who is now back in this part of China, as he began to explain to me his experiences (good and bad) with Christian missionaries from the U.S.. The event which challenged his perspective on American Christianity for the most part was the fact that the only image he saw, as well as the hundreds of others in this little remote village where he was stationed, had been when a large group of missionaries showed up in a large van and began to do “outreach” to the people. At first the people were thrilled that help had come, but instead of help, what came was a form too often seen these days under the guise of “mission work”, where teams would venture into a remote area and preach the gospel, but never actually meeting the physical needs of the people. The people of Nepal, as well as western China told the tale as this large group of U.S. missionaries came into the area that had been ravaged by a natural disaster, and never offering any service of help to restore what had been lost. Instead, they offered bibles. Bibles. Not clothes, or warm blankets, or food, or even bottled water – but bibles. Then, when they finished ministering to the people by handing out the word of God, they left. And with that they were gone.

I asked my friend what did the people do with all those bibles that the missionaries handed them, which were in the hundreds, if not a few thousand? His answer both shocked me, but as I pondered on it later that afternoon, it made perfectly good sense – they burned them. No, the Nepal people, nor the Chinese locals burned those bibles out of some sort of hatred for the gospel, they actually appreciated the care that these well intended (albeit misguided) young men attempted to do. Yet in the end, the people burned their bibles to keep warm during the night.

While there are certainly many good and sincere Christian organizations working in Asia who do have a heart for the people, not just in mere words, but also in demonstration, still, I’ve seen an increase of those who come to Asia with the least bit of desire to work with the people, meeting their needs where they are at, and instead, giving them religion disguised as faith. It never works. The apostle Paul stated it like this, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. “ (1 Cor. 2.4,5)

Paul not only met the spiritual needs of the people, he met their physical needs as well. It was the same as Christ, who fed the 5,000+ who came to him hungry. How shall we then show the love of Christ if we neglect the very purpose of Christ and God’s message to man if we care not for the needs of the people? We not only reject the commandment of our Lord, we prove that our claim to Christ is nothing more than a false declaration, not merited by a genuine love for others, but a love to be seen and nothing more. If mission work, or even evangelism for that matter is not founded on the central core of the love of Christ, the message of the cross, which is salvation, followed by the demonstration of that same message, then we have failed in whatever purpose we had to begin with, and we’ve become nothing more than a cheap imitation (religious), a counterfeit.

My heart broke today inside as I listened to how the gospel which could have been used to reach untold numbers of people for Christ, become nothing more than a religious symbol of pride and nothing more. Yet as I look at the work my wife and I do here in China, the churches we establish, the lives that are being changed, the children being educated, people who need medicine paid by and from this ministry, it sets us apart from those who only see the lost as a mere symbol of prideful gain, but a people who need to not only hear that Jesus loves them, but see it in action as well. That is what separates those who preach Christ for all the wrong reasons, from those who preach Christ out of a genuine love for them. That’s the difference.

The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity but a new demonstration. ~Leonard Ravenhill

“And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2 Peter 2:3)

I like amusement parks. Actually, I love amusement parks in general. I love the atmosphere of a place where I can let my guard down in an environment where the moment I walk into a particular park, knowing that whatever problems I might have been facing in the “real” world, is lost temporarily in a make believe world, even if for just a few short hours.

In the United States alone, there are approximately more than 400 amusement parks situated across the country. From parks in Ohio, Tennessee, Florida and California (and many more in other States), amusement parks can be found in almost every part of America. Yet they are also money machines. In 2011, theme parks, amusement parks, and water parks generated a total direct economic impact of approximately $55.4 billion. Nearly 30,000 attractions (theme and amusement parks, attractions, water parks, family entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, science centers, museums, and resorts) produced a total nationwide economic impact of $219 billion in 2011.(source)

All in all, amusement parks are an economic cash cow. This is why Europe and even China is getting in on the amusement park ride, because they generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually. In 2017, China will have 20 theme parks (not including the new Disneyland in Shanghai) across the nation, all funneling hard earned money back to the Communist party. In essence, Capitalism via entertainment sells, and it sells well.

So with all of the money being made from amusement parks, and other family entertainment, is it any wonder why that now the church is getting involved in the business of thrill rides and fantasy? From the Holy Land experience in Florida, owned and operated by Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), to the latest Christian enterprise called Ark Encounters, where Ken Ham has built a life size replica of Noah’s ark at the cost of over 100 million dollars. This does not include 91 million in the first phase of work that was done several years ago, nor does it include several million in junk bonds that were sold to investors, nor does it include the millions in State revenue tax incentives the non-profit foundation (which is the same group who owns the Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky) will receive from the State of Kentucky, nor does it include the estimated billion dollars in annual profits from the estimated 2.2 million visitors in the first year through ticket sales. In total, this venture, like The Holy Land experience in Florida, will generate billions from Christians looking for another attraction, another flesh fix, another amusement for their already candy flavored gospel they so like to enjoy. But what of the spiritual cost?

There is no question that could be conceived today by someone desiring to understand exactly where we as a church are heading, which would garner an answer to satisfy their curiosity other than what is going on with the Western church? Specifically, the American Christian society. Yet here we are, in the 21st century, and still the Western church is struggling once again to find its path that it has sadly departed from – the Great Commission. Startling facts though reveal something more that is trending which should make us all take account of what’s happening in the modern church; Donations to world missions are down to less than 2% in overall giving, the number of missionaries per country is equally lower today than what it was in the 1950’s, which saw one of the largest growths in missionaries being sent, and now the Southern Baptists have announced a 15% cut in foreign missionaries, as well as support beginning 2016 – 2017. This means that less than 4,000 missionaries will be supported world-wide. This means that over 300-500 missionaries will have to either return home, or find another source of financial support. This means that once again, we are seeing what happens when the church trades biblical evangelism for modernism in the form of entertainment, hence “amusement parks”. (source)

The modern church today has an identity problem, it cannot understand who it is anymore. Is it the church which preaches the cross? Or is it the relative church which relies on entertainment and modernism to relay its overall message? Is it the salt and light of the remnant church? Or has it become one which has lost its savor? Either way, what we are seeing right now in these monstrosities known as Christian “theme” parks, are in essence more about who the church is today, and less of who it use to be. The simple truth is, the church has traded substance and truth for wealth and popularity.

There is a crisis in the church today. A crisis of faith, a crisis of identity, a crisis of truth, and unless we begin to once again reject these attempts to merchandise, and ultimately betray who we are in Christ, I fear that the only thing relative for the American church will be a church not of power, or salt and light, but of weakness, lukewarm and powerless because of our gluttony over the sensuality of our world rather than the humility the cross would bring to the church. In other words, the American church has sold itself for money, fun and the desire to be entertained.

How many missionaries could have been sent worldwide from the revenue these parks will and have generated over time? How many bibles could have (but won’t) been placed across the globe, into areas where there is little bibles to show who God is? How many mouths could have been fed (but wasn’t), or backs covered (but wasn’t) all because of the church desiring yet another gluttonous meal of fleshly entertainment? There will be a lot to answer for at the judgment, and many will question why they wasted so precious time building things which in the end had no true bearing on the gospel itself, but wasted every dollar that could have been used (but wasn’t) on world evangelism. Such is the state of the American church.

1 Samuel 18:1-3 – “After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home. And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself.”

Have you ever met someone that you immediately knew you would become good friends with? Have you ever found yourself being drawn into a friendship where that very friendship was not only beneficial for that particular point and time in your life, but it served as a means to bring you into a deeper walk with God? Or maybe you found yourself seeking God’s will, and finding a bond with a person or group of people who not only became close, personal friends, but that very friendship was what God would use to fulfill the very call he had for your life? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then you had what I call a God Connection – a divine appointment in your life.

I can point you to specific places in my life where God not only developed a deep friendship with a brother or sister in Christ, but used that individual to meet a particular need in my ministry to further his will for me for my life, and establish a friendship that would cross many periods of our lives. These were God connections, people in whom God placed in my life at a particular point in time for a future event. Several years ago I met a new friend in the southern states, it was an immediate bond, as we both quickly gleaned from each other our take on the word. But it didn’t start off that way, it started off with him being led to meet a particular financial need in my ministry at that particular time.

For several months I had been praying for specific needs, one in particular was to go further with my then tent ministry. This is where I began to seek direction. The Lord began to speak into my spirit of expanding my work as an evangelist and traveling further in my evangelistic work. I received an email from a friend whom I had just met, he asked if I had ever, or would ever consider coming to Louisiana to hold a revival in his area where he and his family lived. I said I would pray over the matter, again, we had only known each other via social media for a short time, so I didn’t have much information to go on, but a inner feeling that God was pressing me to go. So I explained my situation, that I was in fact seeking to broaden my scope and territory and that going to Louisiana seemed not only appealing, but one the Lord was drawing me to. We agreed on a time and month and I began to pray.

I told the Lord that if he wanted me to go to Louisiana, he would have to meet the need. I had just preached a one-week tent revival and saw little in finances when the revival was over with, yet I was undeterred. I had $200 and told the Lord that I would go, yet I remembered as I was praying that I should be very specific with the Lord in my request, since God desires us to seek him for all things. I pleaded my case before the Lord, asking him to give me $1,200 dollars as I told my heavenly Father that that was the amount I felt I needed to not only go to Louisiana, but to keep my stay in that area for the term of the revival. The next day, I received another $100 dollars from someone as a gift. That made me $300, and with that amount, I packed my car and headed south, trusting God for the rest.

There are times where we must trust God completely, even blindly. It is those times when our faith is put to the test, that we begin to see the glory of God beginning to develop in our life, but it all comes by faith. When we reach out by faith, God reaches out to us and begins the process of unfolding his eternal plan for our lives. But it has to come by faith. Shallow, or weak faith will never breed success in whatever God has called you to do if you yourself don’t believe it. It’s neither presumption nor arrogance to expect God to move, it’s simply trusting in the fact that if God has told you something, it’s believing it by faith that he will make a way where there seems to be no way. That is walking by faith. That is the only faith God will honor or bless. Anything less is arrogance.

By the time I arrived in Louisiana, I was met by my friend David, and as we greeted each other and shared the joy of meeting each other for the first time, I happened to place my hand upon my pant leg pocket to place my car keys inside, when I noticed my wallet, and my thoughts raced to the fact that I had only $100 left because of traveling expenses required to make the 17 hour drive. Needless to say I was walking by faith, but I trusted God. As I was unpacking my things from the car into the church cabin arranged for visiting ministers and guests, my friend told me he had something for me, something that the Lord had placed upon his heart to give me. Out of his pocket he began to lay out eleven one hundred dollar bills and then proceeded to place it into my hand. When I looked at the money, then it hit me, I had $1,200 dollars! Exactly the amount I had prayed to the Lord that I needed. God showed me favor through a divine appointment, a God Connection that not only met my financial need, but that very friendship has lasted for these many years now.

When we examine early relationships found in the Bible, we can see many divine appointments which I refer to as GOD CONNECTIONS. These are divinely inspired friendships which were birthed from a divine appointment which developed not only a mutual friendships, but a deep agape love for one another that saw that person through very difficult times. Some examples of divine appointments can be seen in the lives of the following people:

David and Jonathan

David and Abiathar

Ruth and Naomi

Rahab the harlot and the two spies

Elijah and Elisha

Paul and Barnabas

Paul, Priscilla and Aquila

Paul and Timothy

In each of these relationships, we see a divine appointment by God that served not only as the basis for a mutual friendship, but in some situations brought life changing events in their future. Rahab’s divine appointment with the two spies saved her entire family, Jonathan’s love for David saved him from the wrath of his Father Saul. Paul’s relationship with Barnabas was instrumental in Paul being eventually accepted by the early church who would not originally receive Paul, yet it was Barnabas who spoke of Paul’s preaching in the temple at the very risk of his own life. In each of these appointments – Connections, we can see God’s handiwork.

So how does one recognize a divine appointment?

Here are several ways of determining a divine appointment:

By the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Being obedient to God’s will. (This opens up the door for God to use someone in your life.)

Recognizing why that person or people are in your life.

Learning to allow others to minister to you which then leads you into the next phase of your walk, or ministry.

A genuine God Connection will come at a specific time in your life to help you through a current situation.

There have been many, many times in my life and ministry where God used a person or group of people to get me through a point in my life where I would have been lost had they not been there for me. This is an aspect of that divine appointment we must establish if we are to recognize and nurture that friendship. And while some relationships might fade to a lesser degree, it must be understood that in each and every Connection that God brings about, it is to serve as a reflection of his love toward us and to see us reach that place he has for us in our spiritual growth, but it our daily life, or our ministry. Whatever the case may be, recognizing and understanding a divine appointment – God Connection, will help you achieve the next plan God has for you. So don’t be too quick to brush off the next person that befriends you, but understand that God is a supreme God, and his desire is for you to grow and nurture in his perfect will, and that can only come by placing our complete trust in him and what he did on the cross, and recognizing those individuals he has placed in our lives to get us through our season of expectation. That is the God Connection.

Christopher

christopher152@gmail.com

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Since my arrival in China nearly 2 weeks ago, God has been dealing with me to build a church in Chongqing, since there are no large, established churches in this 80 million populated City. The Lord spoke one thing to me, “Build my church and I will fill it”. So, with that and the support of my wife, we are starting a building fund to raise $50,000 to purchase a good sized building so that over 120 people can worship and fellowship in. The local churches can accommodate around 12 people, some a little more, but less than 30, they NEED a place to worship, and China’s lessening grip on churches in the larger Cities can now make this possible. So, I’m asking those who can, to prayerfully consider this and give to this work I’ve been called to do. Maybe your church would adopt these Chinese believers with a one time gift? Any amount will go directly to the building fund, then to purchase bibles. This is a first ever undertaking and one I am humbled that God would place it in my hands. Consider this for your next mission support.

You can go online (here) to make a donation, or you can send check or money order payable to the following;

China Missions

1918 E. 16th St. Muncie Indiana 47302

Your support will make it possible for us to do what has not been done before.

Christopher

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When I first began this blog site some three years ago, I did so under the direction of the Lord, desiring to write about those things which have and are influencing the church today. The site has grown to over 700,000 viewership to date and continuing to grow. As many may or may not know, on September 7th, 2015, I will embark on a new path the Lord has directed me – China. In a few short days I will be traveling to China to begin a work where I will not only be joining my wife (Ruth), but also to begin planting churches, evangelizing and sharing the gospel to the Chinese. This is a faith walk unlike any other, yet one which I anticipate a great harvest of souls in the end. As for The Prophetic News, the site will continue to be updated regularly as well as both my personal Facebook page (here) and the mission page (here). The official website for my ministry is www.chinamissions.org .

So what can the reader expect from the coming months? Regular updates from China and what we are actively doing. New articles, Facebook updates and yes, there is now an official Youtube channel where I will be updating viewers and supporters with video content which can be seen on our Youtube site (here).

The ministry is growing and many have asked how they can become a supporter of our work in China, it’s very simple, you can become a monthly supporter where you can donate either by check (via mail) or credit card (online) or through Paypal (chrisgregory1918@yahoo.com). Either way, you can be a sponsor to a work that has been going into China since 2013, which include taking bibles into China for distribution, training the saints with the gospel, and the most important thing, preaching the gospel to the lost. There is no greater opportunity for us to work within China than right now, and I know that those who are desiring a work to support will find that this work is fulfilling the call of the great commission just as God has called us to.

I will update more in the coming weeks, but for now I will be focusing on my upcoming travel into China and time to get adjusted to my new home and my newly married wife. For those who desire to support this work, as well as those who continue to support this work by mail, you can still support the work with your financial gift at the address below. If you wish to donate by mail, please make your check or money order out to the following: China Missions

Donations can be sent to this address if not using our website:

China Missions

1918 E. 16th St.

Muncie, Indiana 47302

Thank you for faithfulness in giving and may God richly bless you in your future – and pray for the people in China.

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1)

One of the most dangerous, deadly teachings which have been rooted in certain segments of Christian Denominations is in fact the doctrine of unconditional eternal security (or better known as once saved always saved). It is this doctrine of demons which is leading multitudes upon multitudes to hell, and worse, many more will follow in their footsteps because of a lie many have chosen to believe because of what they were taught.

I was speaking with a pastor friend of mine who relayed to me a particular story in which a man whom had done many bad and wicked things that resulted in prison time, told my friend that even though he had done many evil things to others, lived an evil life and hurt many, explained that regardless of what he did, he would still make it to heaven simply because he got saved when he was a little boy. Yet sadly, there are countless multitudes after multitudes who have died, and will die lost and end up in that place Jesus called Hell simply because they were told that they were saved (born again) at some point in their life, and as a result, they lived how they wanted, counter to the gospel and a life full of rebellion, sin and wickedness.

So what exactly is unconditional eternal security?

In essence, unconditional eternal security simply states that when someone comes to Christ at some point in their life, be it a child, teen, young adult or elderly person, that person is forever saved, never to lose their salvation regardless how they live, and will die with their salvation assured. This is in fact the core belief of unconditional eternal security.

So why is this teaching (doctrine) false? It is false because it’s rooted in a twisted view of scripture. One of Satan’s most deadly attributes to his lies is the ability to twist scripture. When God told Adam not to eat of the tree of good and evil, it was Satan who tempted Eve by twisting God’s word with a half truth “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1) It was this subtle twist of the word which Satan used to bring about man’s fall from grace and brought the world into sin and rebellion. Yet even today, nearly 6,000 years since that time in the garden, Satan is once again tempting man by twisting the words of God thru others which another type of gospel by suggesting “Did God really say?” when it comes to salvation and what it means to not only be born again, but to stay in the faith.

So the question that needs to be asked is, can one really lose one’s place in the kingdom of God? The answer is YES! If the object of ones faith fails to continue to be placed in the finished work of Christ and what he did on the cross, then at some point in that persons life, sin will become once again the dominant force in the person and ultimately that person will grow further and further away from the truth, that to a point in time, the person no longer desires the things of God and worse, begins to live a life of sin and eventually they will no longer feel the convicting pull of the Holy Spirit and when that occurs, whatever saving faith they had in Christ will be forgotten, they will become reprobate in action and idea to such a degree that the Holy Spirit will remove himself from such a person and leave that individual to their own demise, hopelessly lost for all eternity if they do not repent.

We see this fact in the lives of several throughout the word who once knew the Lord but fell away from the faith and died eternally lost, Demas (2 Timothy 4:10), Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:3-8, Acts 1:18-19), Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Timothy 2:16-18), Alexander the Coppersmith (1 Timothy 1:18-20) and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). In each of these men, not only did they indicate a full knowledge of the truth (Christ), but they followed Jesus as well, yet they lost their place in the kingdom of God and fell away from the truth, never to return back to the faith.

Even in the sad case of Judas Iscariot, one who not only was selected by the Lord. Yet even Judas who knew the Lord, called by the Lord and anointed by the Lord, would not only betray the Lord Jesus, but in the end would succumb to his own demise thru suicide, sadly cementing himself forever in the corridors of hell to await his stand at the judgment. Some would suggest that Judas never knew the Lord to begin with, but they fail to read the scriptures which clearly show not only Judas as well as the others doing the will of God, but equally, Judas was mentioned in prophecy found in Psalm 109:8, where we read Judas was foretold of his betrayal and his removal from the faith – “Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.”

In each of those listed above as references, it clearly shows one can forfeit their salvation. The teaching which declares ‘once saved always saved‘ is simply not only untrue, it will damn a soul for eternity. Yet it must be understood by the word, that if the believer continues in sin, continues a lifestyle of sin and not dealt with nor repented of, then that person is at risk of losing their eternal hope.

The word speaks about what a believer can do in regards to losing their standing in the faith:

Fall from grace – Gal. 5:1-4,13

Be led away with error – 2 Pet. 3:17

Err from the truth – James 5:19-20

Weak brother may perish – 1 Cor. 8:11

Fall into condemnation – James 5:12

Be moved away from the hope – Col. 1:21-23

Deny the Lord who bought them – 2 Pet. 2:1

Depart from the living God – Heb. 3:12

Can be a castaway – 1 Cor. 9:27

Can become accursed children – 2 Pet. 2:14

About a year ago, a young woman no older than 25, stated that she was a Christian, that she believed in Jesus Christ and that she prayed on occasion, but didn’t read her Bible nor could she remember when she had last went to church (not that it’s a requirement for salvation mind you) and that she believed in God. Now, all of this sounded great and encouraging until she further explained that her lifestyle was one of partying, drinking and sleeping around. When asked how she knew she was a Christian, she explained that, “I prayed the sinners prayer when I was a little girl.”

Months ago I received an email from a young teen who took exception to my comments about homosexuality and it’s affect on people’s lives and why God does not permit such behavior. The young woman proceeded to tell me that she was a Christian, she goes to church faithfully, she sings in the choir, goes to teen camp and was baptized. The problem is, she is a lesbian and active in the homosexual lifestyle. Yet she insists that she is a Christian.

What is Salvation? The definition of salvation is the act of saving or protecting someone from harm, risk or destruction. In Biblical terms, salvation is the act in which a person accepts (by faith) the truth of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he did on the cross. Meaning, when a person realizes that they are a sinner, separated by God due to sin, they accept and believe that Jesus Christ was and is the son of God, they accept that his death on the cross was for the remission of sin and that by faith and repentance for their sins, they believe completely that they are now born again and begin to follow him. That is the Biblical doctrine of salvation. (Eph. 2:8-9, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Luke 13:5, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, Romans 10:10 and Romans 10:13)

Now, many will say, “I said a prayer – I’m saved and that’s it. I can go on with my life now.” Sadly, the truth today is, this all too common in the church today. But the truth is much more deeper than just saying a prayer, it’s much more. And let me just say that I by no means discount saying a prayer, I’m not advocating that at all. It is through prayer we talk to God, it is through prayer that our requests are made known as well as answered, but the truth is, salvation is a process, although it is immediate, it is still a process in which one must continually maintain and develop, it’s not something we just use like a coat or sweater, putting it on part of the time and removing it at other times. Salvation is a way of life and the sad truth is, there are untold millions who call themselves saved and they are not! And shocking even more, the church and most Pastors are not confronting this issue head on and they are just as guilty.

When we are born again in Christ, a tremendous change has taken place from the inside outward. A person who has accepted Christ will begin to mold him or herself to the image of Christ in their conduct, in their thinking, in their direction, in their habits, in their day to day life, a person who has accepted Christ willfully turns their life over to Jesus Christ and submits to his prescribed order. Now, does this happen overnight? No it doesn’t, again, I repeat this, this is a process, but there are certain immediate changes which take place or should take place in the new converts life which show that they have been changed. A new desire to put off the old ways is one of those changes.

2 Cor. 5:17 states, “He that is in Christ is a NEW creature, OLD things have passed away, behold all things are brand NEW.” meaning, when a person comes to Christ, they are new in God’s eyes, for he sees the blood of Christ applied to their lives, no longer does that person think the way they used to think, no longer does a person act, behave, conduct their life as they once did, for SOMETHING has taken place and that something was salvation.

The issue we have happening within the church today is that people who merely profess Christ yet they do not strive to serve, conduct or apply his teachings to their life, are sadly being mislead into believing they are believers. Jesus states in John 8:31 “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, then you are truly my disciples.” Salvation comes with a price, while salvation is free, there is a requirement for the follower and that is you are now conformed into the image of God. You have a demand placed upon you to follow Christ and that means giving up the things which led you into sin in the first place.

Sadly, there are people today, who still insist that they can live however they wish, never walk according to the teachings of Christ as we are commanded to do (2 john 1:9) and they insist they are saved. The truth is, they are as lost now as they were then and what’s worse, they have pastors who actually tell them they are saved! This is why God allows tares to be sown with the wheat, for it’s not our place or job to expose those who are false converts, it’s our job as true believers to preach the gospel and lead men to Christ. God will eventually weed them out.

I have sat in services where the Pastor or visiting evangelist would simply tell people to “say a prayer” or simply raise their hands if they want salvation and “BAM!” they are now new in Christ without telling them what is required, i.e., repentance, counting the cost, these are things we have set aside today because we no longer take the time to tell people what salvation requires, that there is a genuine cost to be a Christian. It’s not about simply saying a prayer and going on ones way, it’s about conforming to Christ, taking up one’s cross and following him. We’ve done a disservice to the gospel by advocating such foolishness and we are sending many to hell thinking they are saved when they are not!

Jesus himself stated that does one build a building without going over the cost of such endeavor? (Luke 14:28) Then why are we telling people that they get saved without going through the steps of what salvation really means? What it truly represents to be a Christian? It’s because we are now more focused on building churches through means other than traditional, Biblical teachings which rely on the gospel being preached and the holy spirit having his way and instead, trusting in man made means to an end. This is the new gospel today and why the crowds are so large in many of today’s churches.

I’ve often wondered why so many of these churches are large and enormous to the point of overflow? The answer is found in what they are teaching, not in what they should be preaching. I can guarantee this, if most, if not all, of these mega churches, even the modest ones running into the thousands were to truly preach the gospel as it is required, the numbers would not run consistent. Actually, the numbers would drop! Why? Because people would have to face the real truth that the salvation truth they have accepted is not what Christ offered. Actually, Christ himself had great multitudes which followed him everywhere he went, but toward the last of his life and ministry was near complete, the multitudes vanished! Why? Because they didn’t desire to truly follow him, they wanted a gospel or ideology which tickled their ears and didn’t require a price to be paid for salvation. This is why Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.” (Matt. 7:13)

To follow Christ is to deny ourselves completely. It’s forsaking all for the kingdom, this means, everything that we love, cherish and seek after. It means that we no longer desire our will, we desire his will. Salvation, when one accepts this great gift, does so on the basis that they understand that their life is not their own anymore, a genuine change has taken place and from that point on, their mind has been transformed to mind of Christ.

Salvation by today’s standards in most churches today is not the same as found in the word. This is a new doctrine that advocates personal accountability to no one which considers true salvation as a method which is too strict, too demanding and too costly. It doesn’t lift up self, it doesn’t make us feel good and it doesn’t bring about change where needed. The modern church has adopted this new kind of salvation message which is therapy based and not Bible based.

Let me just say, it saddens me to see so many misguided, misinformed people today who are being deceived almost daily in many of these conforming churches lead by liberal Pastors who have all but rejected the word of God. But I stand firm that there is hope and that hope is that those who truly desire Christ and truly desire to seek him will find him, for God has promised us in his word that if we seek him, we will indeed find him. ( Jeremiah 29:13)

Once again, to set the record clear, to believe in unconditional eternal security is to believe a lie, and those who teach such are not only teaching a damnable heresies (2 Peter 2:1), but to those who would believe such a lie will lose their place in the kingdom of God and find themselves in hell for all eternity. Remember the words of Jesus in Mark 4:16 (Luke 8:13) “And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; (they believe for a while) and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.” Jesus is speaking about those who knew the saving faith of the cross, but later would fall away.

Even the apostle Paul declared in 1 Timothy 4:1 that in the last days, many would fall away from the faith. The word gives us other admonitions to keep the faith:

Be steadfast immovable: 1 Cor 15:58

If these qualities are yours…2 Pe 1:5-11

We will reap if we do not grow weary: Gal 6:9

Be faithful unto death and I will give crown of life: Rev 2:10

Practice these things and God will be with you: Phil 4:9

To accept anything other than the truth of continuing in the faith, and instead believe a lie proves that salvation is a daily effort by which we can only do by keeping ourselves in the cross, the finished work of Calvary and keeping our eyes on Christ and allowing him to guide us and lead us into perfect truth. This is why we must discern and weigh all teachings which come along so that we too will not become seduced by the seduction of false teachings, in this case the dangerous false doctrine of unconditional eternal security.

“For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?“ (1 Peter 4:17)

(A letter to the leaders of the body of Christ – and then a prophetic warning)

It’s been 24 hours now (at the time of this writing) since the landmark ruling came down from the U.S. Supreme Court which legalized same sex marriage, making it the law of the land, and yet I am stunned that we have drifted this far and this deep in not only perversion being accepted, but worse – ignored by most of the church. There have now been a total of four (4) Supreme Court rulings in this nation which has not only divided America, but also divided the church and they are:

1. Prayer removed from public schools (1962).

2. The Bible removed from public schools (1963).

3. Abortion became a legal right in the United States (1973).

4. Same sex marriage becomes the law of the land (2015).

In each of these court rulings the one common denominator which has connected them altogether was and is in fact the church itself remained silent. Some would accuse me of being too harsh, that the church as a whole has stood up to the progressive movement which has been swiftly been sweeping across the land since the late 60’s with the whole “sexual revolution” and into the beginning of the early 90’s when the liberal progressive movement started to take root into the heart of America. In each of these rulings, the church found itself dusting off the disbelief that these events not only took place, but questioned why they happened to begin with? The truth is, in each of these court rulings, it came about because the church refused to take part in the social movements of the times and in so doing, the church watched (almost apathetically at times) society give itself over to the spirit of lasciviousness as the culture drifted further and further away from the path which was laid before it. To say that nothing could have been done in each of these events is not simply disingenuous, but duplicitous as well. We, the body of Christ are to be blamed for what we are now seeing taking shape across this nation, much less the world, and we owe it all to the pulpits across America.

There was a time when the church prayed for America. From the early beginnings of this nation, to the start of the 20th century, saints prayed faithfully and often. In the efforts by the early saints God rewarded the early 20th century church with great moves of God, from Azusa street to the Appalachian revivals, God revealed and filled himself upon all those who diligently sought him and God blessed this nation. Yet as time progressed and society became more abundant with prosperous living, something began to happen to the early church, it began, not at once, but over time it found itself beginning to drift further and further away from the cross and by the time of the late 70’s, the church at that time was not the same as it was merely just 40 years previously.

Throughout the 1920s thru the 1960s, America as well as the church saw powerful moves of God. From the healing revivals of A.A. Allen to Oral Roberts and Jack Coe, to the prophetic tents of William Branham, the church was seeing great ministries and preachers such as Billy Sunday and Maria Woodworth Etter rise up and touch the heart of the nation. It was said that when Billy Sunday came into a particular city, that the bars would shutter their doors because of the impact of Billy’s message (which was the cross) had upon the lost. SInners got saved when Billy preached. Yet the church started to embrace things which would eventually not only change her directive (the harvest) to other things. By the 1980s the church had completely moved away from the message of the cross and in its place would come another gospel, another message, another cross. Let me quote to you A. W. Tozer, “There has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental. From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique-a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before. The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam’s proud flesh it meant the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure, only now he takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of singing bawdy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually. The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life can be received. He preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level. Whatever the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the religious product is better. The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. To the self-assertive it says, “Come and assert yourself for Christ.” To the egotist it says, “Come and do your boasting in the Lord.” To the thrill seeker it says, “Come and enjoy the thrill of Christian fellowship.” The Christian message is slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public. The philosophy back of this kind of thing may be sincere but its sincerity does not save it from being false. It is false because it is blind. It misses completely the whole meaning of the cross. The old cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt, violent end of a human being. The man in Roman times who took up his cross and started down the road had already said good-by to his friends. He was not coming back. He was going out to have it ended. The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing; it slew all of the man, completely and for good. It did not try to keep on good terms with its victim. It struck cruel and hard, and when it had finished its work, the man was no more. The race of Adam is under death sentence. There is no commutation and no escape. God cannot approve any of the fruits of sin, however innocent they may appear or beautiful to the eyes of men. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life. That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and the ways of men is false to the Bible and cruel to the souls of its hearers. The faith of Christ does not parallel the world, it intersects it. In coming to Christ we do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane; we leave it at the cross. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die. We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum. God offers life, but not an improved old life. The life He offers is life out of death. It stands always on the far side of the cross. Whoever would possess it must pass under the rod. He must repudiate himself and concur in God’s just sentence against him. What does this mean to the individual, the condemned man who would find life in Christ Jesus? How can this theology be translated into life? Simply, he must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God’s stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die. Having done this let him gaze with simple trust upon the risen Saviour, and from Him will come life and rebirth and cleansing and power. The cross that ended the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner; and the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him to a new life along with Christ. To any who may object to this or count it merely a narrow and private view of truth, let me say God has set His hallmark of approval upon this message from Paul’s day to the present. Whether stated in these exact words or not, this has been the content of all preaching that has brought life and power to the world through the centuries. The mystics, the reformers, the revivalists have put their emphasis here, and signs and wonders and mighty operations of the Holy Ghost gave witness to God’s approval. Dare we, the heirs of such a legacy of power, tamper with the truth? Dare we with our stubby pencils erase the lines of the blueprint or alter the pattern shown us in the Mount? May God forbid. Let us preach the old cross and we will know the old power. (A. W. Tozer, Man, the Dwelling Place of God, 1966)

As our nation grew further and further away from the truth, the church grew more and more silent. We see this in its current message, from the prosperity gospel, or a love gospel without judgment, to Psychology as a replacement to the gospel message, whereby man’s problem is not sin, but self. Today, we have popular preachers occupying the pulpits throughout much of nation and its churches which is preaching something other than the cross, be it money, to self help, to living a good life, instead of ‘Deny yourself’ we are now preaching tolerance. This is why most pastors today would rather ignore, reject and by all accounts refuse to touch these subjects, because the people themselves no longer wish to hear the truth. And when the church no longer is salt (Matthew 5:13) it loses its purpose and its influence upon the very society who needs the truth. Hence why we are to be blamed for the past (4) court rulings which have brought this nation into great peril before the Lord, for let me remind us all that any nation who rejects God will end up in ruin (Psalm 9:17).

Thus, here we are today once again where the United States highest court has changed the nation to an even greater sin, the perversion of what God has always deemed as the only method of marriage, and the church for the most part is taking it as business as usual. But soon that will change.

While in prayer last night (and today with the moving of the Holy Spirit) the Lord revealed to me something which is coming upon this nation, it is this; God is about to shake this nation in such a way that it will shake even the church up from its slumber, and that shaking will cause a stir in the heart of God’s people and once again bring her back to the cross. This shaking will show us that God is not pleased with where this nation is going, for it has departed the path the church once helped guided it on. I leave you this word found in Jeremiah 8:18-20 “My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me. Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people from the length and breadth of the land: “Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not in her?” “Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images and with their foreign idols? “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”